I'm not much for resolutions, but as 2009 turned into 2010, I made a pop culture resolution that I thought was a worthwhile venture. I resolved to watch all of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." After I realized that there are several crossover episodes with its spin-off "Angel," I resolved to watch that as well. People rave about these shows and frequently cite "Buffy" as one of the best TV shows of all time. I adored Joss Whedon's "Firefly" and I enjoy the horror/supernatural genre, so it seemed like a no-brainer that I would fall in love with these two shows like everyone else. Well, I'm sad to report that I failed. I could only get about four and a half seasons in until I couldn't take it anymore. I made it through some of the first season of "Angel" but dropped that because I couldn't acquire the rest of it, not because I couldn't stand it. But I dropped "Buffy" because the things I disliked about it outnumbered the things I liked about it. So just what is it that I found so insufferable about "Buffy" while everyone else adores it? (Feel free to yell at me all you want. Or explain to me why I should stick with it and what I'm missing, which would be more helpful.)Buffy Summers
Sorry, I don't like the Slayer. I find Sarah Michelle Gellar kind of annoying in this role and I tired quickly of her. I also got tired of her "serious" acting, which basically involves talking in a soft, hurt voice. I think a lot of this dislike comes from the intense pressure I feel to think of Buffy as a badass female role model who I should worship. Yeah, she kicks ass, but she isn't very bright and has others do the brainwork for her. And I know she's a teenage girl, but she gets really moody, cocky, bratty and insensitive and I don't have the patience for it I suppose. I also have an issue with the clever dialogue coming out of her mouth (as well as Xander's, but he'll get his soon enough). On "Firefly," the dialogue was full of slang and wit but it was set in an entirely different, future setting. "Gilmore Girls" as well as "Veronica Mars," to a certain extent, had witty dialogue but the characters were very intelligent and worldly. Buffy is just a petulant kid, so the dialogue comes off more cutesy and attempting to be hip than organically clever.
Xander and Anya
Same goes for Xander regarding the dialogue. I cannot stand Xander. He's an annoying, quippy, useless person in their little group. And then he has his little romance with Anya, another annoying character. I know it's a common suspension of disbelief regarding ages of actors playing teens, but there's a scene where Anya tries to order a drink at a bar and gets turned down because of her age. It's supposed to be hilarious. I'm sorry, but she looked like she was 35. These two together really drag down the show for me. Maybe I could just fastforward through their scenes? The only time I actually like Xander is when he grows a pair and tells the hard truth about a situation or character that needs to be said. But then he goes back to being plain old "lovable" Xander.
Angel
I never knew that the whole Edward Cullen/Bella Swan thing was a complete rip-off of the Angel/Buffy romance. God, I couldn't wait for their boring relationship to end. Or at least for Angelus to come back. Angel was such a bore and a downer. Until he got his own show, that is. Once he got his own show he was a much better character. But on "Buffy" he seemed to suck the life out of every scene he was in.
The excessively quippy dialogue
Like I said earlier, I think Joss Whedon's writing on "Firefly" really worked. But the quips and the "hip" dialogue just starts to make my ears burn on this show. I don't know how Giles keeps it together around these kids. I can actually understand now why some people don't like "Gilmore Girls," although the whip-smart dialogue on that show wasn't coming out of the mouths of dopey teenagers.
The stupid people of Sunnydale
Another element that really tests by ability to suspend disbelief. Any "Buffy" fan is aware of this infamous plot issue, so I won't bother explaining it, but the people of Sunnydale are absolute morons. Sure, they had that scene at the dance or prom or whatever honoring Buffy as Class Protector, but it didn't seem like enough. I guess Sunnydale has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the supernatural. They don't even bother to do a half-assed mass amnesia like "Smallville" always did. The death rate must not faze anyone either. It's like "Murder, She Wrote," where half the town is evil and the other half ends up as dead victims of the evil ones.
Those scheming, nefarious villains
I got really sick of having a new Bond-esque demon plotting the world's destruction in a cave somewhere underneath Sunnydale. Every new villain was going to bring about the end of the world. But when every villain claims to be high stakes, it makes the threats less tangible every time. I grant "Buffy" a little wiggle room with the cheesy villains because it was produced on the WB during the 90s. But I felt like I was watching the supernatural version of "24," where Jack Bauer kills the Big Bad, only to be told "you think this stops here? You have no idea who you're dealing with. Wait until you meet my boss. He's even badder! This isn't over!"
The logic of the Slayer mythos
So there's only one Slayer for the entire world? There really isn't any evil in the rest of the world? Or maybe evil just goes unchecked everywhere outside of Sunnydale? But of course Sunnydale has the Hellmouth, so it does have more evil. Who picks the Slayer? The Powers that Be? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Why can there only be one? There's a whole lot of evil out there and the deck is really stacked against the side of good if we only get one chosen fighter. All the other cities dealing with vampires just get to suffer I guess.
That empty library
This is another infamous sticking point among fans, but in the high school years, why is no one ever in that damn library? I know it wouldn't work if it was a highly trafficked area, but it's not exactly a secure meeting location. Maybe that's why Sunnydale students are so dumb. They never go to to the library to study, and even if they did, all the books would be about ancient texts and evil creatures.
Why didn't Buffy and Willow just room together in college to begin with?
The fourth season sends the gang off to college and hilarity ensures when Buffy and Willow must deal with horrible roommates. Why didn't they just room together? Maybe because then they couldn't have the contrived storyline about Buffy's evil roommate?
Now that everyone hates me, I will list some things I do like about "Buffy." Because there are some things that I enjoy about this show.
The Initiative
I dropped the show about halfway through the fourth season so I never got the resolution to the whole Adam thing, but I liked that this was the season where "Buffy" fully embraced its campiness. It was like, "screw it, there's a secret government facility under the college! Just go with it!" The whole thing was so ridiculous I couldn't help but love it.
Computer nerds were still, well, nerds
Because it's a show from the 90s, no one knows how to use a computer but the one nerdy friend. This amused me to no end.
Giles
I love Giles. He's smart, experienced, and can actually fight when he needs to. The addition of Wesley served to make Giles look cooler by comparison, but I loved him before that.
Cordelia
I was kind of pissed when she left the show. She was a spoiled teen but at least she was honest and spoke her mind. She wasn't a complete cliche either like I expected. She's the beautiful popular girl but she also does well in school. She seemed like a much more realistic character to me as she was a young girl craving attention and popularity despite being strong and smart. Buffy just comes across as a petulant child to me. Cordelia was destined for greatness. I haven't seen much of "Angel," but her presence on that show can only mean good things.
Spike
I know he's a fan favorite and I can see why. His character absolutely embraces the camp of it all and seems like the only one actually having any fun. He adds that much-needed element because I honestly think the show isn't that fun without him. I should watch the rest of "Buffy" just to see him get more screentime. I much rather see him and Buffy throw down than Buffy and Angel.
So I've listed my main complaints and the few things that kept me with the show that long. I failed at my resolution. But for 2011, I think I'll renew it. Partly just to be able to say that I've seen the entire series. Partly to see if it gets any better. I kept waiting for it to take off and it finally caught on with me in the fourth season, but it didn't hook me strong enough. By the time I got to another episode with Danny Strong's character, I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the series again. I had better things to do anyway. But I want to see if any other season hooks me. I still haven't gotten to Evil Willow or "Once More, With Feeling" or "The Body," so maybe the great episodes come later. I certainly hope so. I started to get the feeling that this show is a lot like "Supernatural" or "Chuck," where it's a good show that is criminally overlooked and underrated so the rabid fan base talks it up so much that it gets a spot in TV history. I love these two shows but I think their greatness can be exaggerated by over-zealous fans, leading newcomers to think "well, this show is good, but nothing life changing." I think this is what's happening with me and "Buffy." It's fine, despite the 90s cheesiness, but not the extraordinary experience I've heard about. It's hard for a show to live up to the kind of hype "Buffy" gets. I wonder how much of the hype is due to nostalgia and how much is due to actual quality. Because I don't think the show is overrated crap, but I think the passing time and fond memories have helped lift it in the public consciousness.
I'm also going to try and pick up "Angel" again. I really liked it, despite the cruel decision to kill off Doyle so soon and sub in Wesley. The only reason I haven't watched "Angel" is because I can't manage to obtain it to watch it. But I like the darker, more serious tone and I love crossover episodes between shows, so I'll try to find it.
Maybe I'll fall in love with "Buffy," but I've been sitting through it for four seasons and I keep on waiting for it to grab me and become the iconic show I've been promised. Or maybe I'll still be bored with it and just watch "Firefly" for the billionth time instead.
(Let the flogging commence)
No comments:
Post a Comment